It's not the lengthy 12-week break of summer, but four school free weeks over the Christmas holidays is still heaven for most children. They want to forget all about reading, writing and arithmetic, to concentrate on the twinkling lights and whether the hottest toy on the market, or the latest in digital technology is under the Christmas tree for them. The thought of school work is all but forgotten.

It may be the Christmas holidays and school may have let out, but it doesn't mean that textbooks should be hidden away and all that children learned over the last term be allowed to go into hibernation. Instead of letting your children have free reign, teachers advise that parents to ensure that children retain their study structure so that they can remain up to speed academically for the next semester.

"Letting students relax is not a bad thing for the holidays, but like everything else it must be done in moderation," says C.V. Bethel School business teacher, Tiffany Johnson.  "After a long semester in school, it's natural for children to want to chill out and close their books for the whole break, but as a parent, you have to enforce that there be some time allotted for studying."  She says school breaks provide the perfect opportunity for parents to reinforce knowledge and help their child get a jumpstart.

While the educator of four years doesn't suggest having a strict study schedule she believes that at least one hour a day should be set aside for children to look over work and prepare for the new semester.

"High school students should be studying all they learnt in the semester prior so they are ready for the upcoming one. This is especially important for ninth grade and twelfth grade students preparing for the BJC (Bahamas Junior Certificate) and BGCSE (Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education)," says Johnson.  "For these students especially there is no time to waste and the Christmas [break] should be seen as golden as it gives them all the time they need without distractions from other classwork to prepare and complete assignments."

She says students who are preparing for national exams should use the break to do interviews, visit information sources and research facts. These breaks she says are also the perfect time for them to start, or put finishing touches on coursework so they don't fall behind.

Johnson says the best students are those who know how to use their time wisely whether they are preparing for national exams are not. As preparation is key, she says even if a child does not naturally want to study, parents should prod them in that direction.

She says parents can also assist by ensuring that their kids participate in educational field trips to keep them engaged.  Even something as simple as going to a library for an hour or two once or twice a week should get your child reading and academically stimulated more than usual. To take it a step further the educator says you can let them do little reports so you know they are understanding what they read and they got the academic value from the different outings.

"Learning is not confined to the classroom so the holidays is always a good time to make your children more worldly. Instead of making a quick trip to Miami for the holidays, taking your child to a Family Island would do them better. They would have a greater appreciation for the country and learn things about their own heritage they didn't learn in school."

Johnson says it is especially important to keep the minds of primary school aged children engaged, as they are still growing and their minds are like sponges.  Rather than letting them "veg out" in front of the television all day, she says they should be encouraged to read and it should be made into a fun activity.  She encourages parents to ensure that children understand what they are reading by asking questions about what their children read and doing mini quizzes.

"Flash cards and things that teach them about numbers, words and even a different language is a good way to keep little children entertained and learning during the break," says Johnson.

While she encourages some sort of structure, she says parents should not push their children too much, and reminds them to remember that the break is only for a month.  She says it also really does children some good to relax and reboot.

If you opt to let your children "off the hook" during the Christmas vacation the educator says the week prior to school reopening, parents should push them to look over their school notes. This she says will make learning new concepts in the upcoming semester easier since the foundation would still be fresh.

"As teachers, we face having to go over old concepts a lot since students simply forget everything during their breaks.  But if you are a concerned parent and your child is studious or needs the extra attention, getting an outline of what the following semester will hold can be of great help," says Johnson. "Your child will be able to study early and have some idea of what he will come across next term. This will let him be more active in class discussions and give him the headstart to acquire skills and knowledge that his peers who waited until class time to learn."

Traditional studying could be a bore to most students during the Christmas break, especially as they anticipate the presents they will open on Christmas day, so Johnson encourages parents to be creative in getting their children to cooperate.

Since most students will aso surf the internet during the break, the teacher says parents should also consider giving their children general topics to look up and have them talk about what they found. She says this will be both entertaining and educational and the students probably won't notice they learned something or how much they can apply to their upcoming lessons because of a simple guided research during the break.

"I absolutely support letting students have a good break whether you decide to go on a trip or stay home and relax.  I just hope some time is taken to prepare for the school semester," says Johnson.

"It's hard to get students back in the swing right away, so if parents can keep them in the school mode to some degree -- such as studying and going to bed on time it shouldn't be too hard to bounce back in place once school starts up again. So students should have fun, eat well and enjoy the time spent with their families during the Christmas holidays, but it's imperative to remember that this is not a long break so they have to keep on the ball. The time will come and go before you know it. So use the time well, says Johnson.

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